Today was spent getting ready for a three day zone conference. We will be meeting Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at three different Stakes with two zones each day. NOTE: A zone is a group of missionaries from a particular area or zone. For example, the missionaries in our area are from the Baltimore Zone. There are six zones in the Maryland-Baltimore mission. Tomorrow we will be meeting with the Baltimore and Annapolis zones. The missionaries will be given instructions and training. Each of us from the office staff will speak to the missionaries about what we need for them to do in order to make our job a little more efficient. For example, I take care of all of the baptism records. This is important because the Church uses these records as a genealogy of the new members and their families. At times the missionaries send in either incomplete forms or forms that are filled out incorrectly. If this happens, I have to try to contact the missionary or put in whatever information I can. What I put on that form goes directly to Salt Lake. Any changes are put in by the ward clerk who is assigned to the home ward of the new member. The church eventually gets the correct information, but it would be so much more efficient and less time consuming if the information was submitted correctly the first time. There is much more that we take care of in the office, but that just gives you an idea of what the missionaries can do to help us out. Your lesson for the day . . .
These three zone meetings will be special because they will be the last ones that President and Sister Belliston will be attending. Their last day in the mission will be on June 29th. The new President, President Richards, will start that day. President and Sister Belliston will meet with the Richards for only three hours and then they head for home. President Richards will then be ‘in charge’. It’s a quick transition. The reason for that is because the new Presidency is called by inspiration, just as the departing presidency was. Therefore, they will start out by doing what they feel is inspired for them to do. Each presidency has the strength and changes that are needed for the mission. It is awesome to see how each Presidency works. It is like when you have a new boss (Linda and Claudia will understand what I mean by that 
The next three days will be long, but interesting. After the zone conference tomorrow, Elder Boehrer and I and the Gibbons and Clausens will be going to the Annapolis Mall, which according to Elder Gibbons is HUGE, and then to dinner. Probably won’t get home before 8:00 or 9:00. . .